Apple To Use FairPlay DRM To Secure Ebooks

A recent report published in The Los Angeles Times is suggesting that Apple will employ FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) protection for preventing privacy theft of e-books sold through its devices, iPad included.

This would largely be aimed at protecting against piracy of titles sold through the iBookstore on its recently unveiled iPad device. Apple reportedly believes FairPlay to be the best way to browse, purchase, and access books on a handheld gadget.

Incidentally, Apple abandoned restrictive DRM for music tracks when it withdrew FairPlay from its signature iTunes Music Store last year.

FairPlay limited the number of devices that could access the bought content but the use of this system was actually the moot point for criticism until it was removed in 2009.

Nevertheless, while Apple pulled back FairPlay restriction from music titles, it still uses the system for the TV shows and movies purchased through the iTunes store.

Likewise, a similar DRM system could reportedly be used for some books sold through the iPad, though the publishers may have a choice, according to the newspaper.

It further went on to suggest that some publishers, like O’Reilly Media, which were against using the DRM protection, might not opt for deploying FairPlay.

“But the majority of publishers are expected to embrace FairPlay, along with other copy protection software such as Adobe's Content Server 4, as a means to quash book piracy as the e-book market begins to take off”, the newspaper added.

Our Comments

Everyone in the ebook market is using DRM so it means that it would be acceptable for Apple to do the same. The move by Apple in 2009 to remove DRM from its sound tracks was quickened by the fact that others did it before, thereby putting it at a disadvantage.